Looks like he was a bit secretive about his methods. Maybe if he wouldn’t have led people astray about how he made his lenses they would have recognized him as correct and not been so delayed in learning too.
Discussion
Profound ideas and discoveries that challenge the common thought of the day are typically met with extreme backlash. Regardless of how the discoverer brings them to light.
I don’t know if you mean to defend his actions, but in case you do, why not write with a pseudonym then? Explain the procedure in full and let them figure it out.